There's something whimsically satisfying about stuffed pasta shells. Is it the shape that conjures up a sunny day at the beach with ocean surf turning over pebbles and shells as the waves retreat? Or is it the seasoned ricotta stuffing hiding inside?

I'm guessing pasta shells were invented by some mischievous pasta maker who created the shape as an act of rebellion against every parent whose ever said to a child, "stop playing with your food."

A few months ago my wonderful mother made what I thought was Spanish rice (a favorite around here, basically a rice pilaf with tomato) but instead of browning rice to start the pilaf, she browned orzo pasta.

Brilliant! It was so incredibly good. Silky and savory like our sopa seca de fideo angel hair dish, but with little rice-shaped orzo pasta. The browning of the orzo adds a toasty nutty flavor to the pasta.

Hello friends! I know many of you come here looking for something you can quickly and easily make, and tastes great. Something perhaps for a weeknight dinner when you have maybe only 30 minutes to cook, and even less to clean up afterwards?

Here's a shrimp and asparagus skillet recipe that scores high on all points. It only takes half an hour start to finish, and only uses one pan. And the taste? Wow! I was really surprised by this one.

One of the best reasons to serve a ham for a holiday dinner or family gathering is the prospect of leftover ham, don't you think? Ham keeps well and can be used for a hearty ham and bean soup, a pasta dish with peas, or for a crowed pleasing ham salad.

It's one of those feed-a-lot-of-people comfort food salads that makes you look forward to leftovers.

Put it in a sandwich (or a slider bun!), eat it plain, or add it to macaroni. The basic components of our favorite ham salad are ground or finely diced ham, sweet pickle relish (sweet works better than dill for ham, imho), and hard boiled eggs. Then something for crunch (celery and/or bell peppers) and mayo to bind it.